Tube coiling device



Jan. 18, 1944. L. E. POOLE TUBE COILING DEVICE Filed Feb. 17, 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Jan. 18, 1944. L; E. POOLE TUBE COILING DEVICE Filed Feb. 17, 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 20 INVENTOR ,2? 5/43 4 ATTORNEYS Jan. 18, 1944. E- POOLE 2,339,424

TUBE COILING DEVICE Filed Feb. 17. 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 r: llll in m INVENTOR ATTORNEY-$5 Patented Jan. 18, 1944 TUBE COILING DEVICE Lora E. Poole, Anderson, Ind., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Application February 17, 1942, Serial No. 431,253

4 Claims.

This invention relates to devices for coiling tubing as it moves horizontally from the end of a continuous tube mill.

An object of the present invention is to provide a coiling device which provides means for forming the tubing into a helical spiral which is received by a support and which permits the severing of a number of turns and removal thereof without stopping the coiling device. To accomplish this object, I provide a pair of power driven feed rolls between which the tubing passes, a bending roll which engages the tubing to cause it to be bent into a turn of the spiral, a guiding plate having a warped surface engaging the tubing as it is being formed into a turn of the spiral to determine the pitch of the spiral, and a rotatable support which receives the spiral turns of the tubing after they are formed. The tubing may be out at a point adjacent the guiding plate so that a coil of tubing comprising a number of spiral turns may be removed without stopping the coiling device.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein preferred embodiments of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a front view of a coiling device embodying one form of the present invention. The part in section'is on the line il of Fig. 4.

Figs. 2 and 3 are fragmentary views taken in the direction of the arrows 2 and 3, respectively,

7 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a side view of the machine shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5--5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a plan View of another coiling device embodying the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a side view of the device shown in Fig. 6, taken in the direction of arrow 1 of Fig. 6.

Figs. 8 and 9 are sectional views on lines 8-8 and 99 respectively of Fig. 6.

Referring to Figs. 1 through 5, a pedestal 20 provides bearing bushings 2| and 22 (Fig. 5) for supporting a shaft 23 connected with a gear 24 driven by gear 25 driven by a shaft 25 (Figs. 3 and e) which is driven by an electric motor not shown. The shaft 26 is supported by bearing brackets 230:, El and 23, supported by the pedestal 23. Brackets 2'! and 28 support a non-rotatable tube 33 surrounding shaft 23. Tube 3 provides a bearing for a clamp-hub 3i tightened around said sleeve 33 by screws 32. Hub 3| is connected by arms 34 with a tubular portion 35 carrying a bearing liner 36 supporting a shaft 3! carrying'a gear 33 and a grooved roller 33. Gear 38 meshes with an idle gear id meshing with gear 4| connected with shaft 23, said idle gear being mounted.

on a stub shaft 42 attached to a lug 43 integral with the tube 35. Thus the shaft 26 drives gear 24. Gear 24 is connected by pins 45 with a roller 46. By adjusting the shaft 31 and the supporting tube 35 about the sleeve 30, and clamping the clamp hub 3i about the sleeve 30, the roller 39 is caused to bear with a desired pressure against the tubing T which is pressed against the roller 45. Before passing between rollers 39 and 45, the tubing '1' passes in a substantially horizontal direction toward the left, Fig. 1, from a continuous tube-forming mill.

The tubing T passes between the rolls 39 and 43 and then under a grooved guide wheel 53 rotatable with a shaft 5! journalled in a bearing bushing 52 pressed into an arm 53 having a clamping hub 54 encircling a stub shaft 55 having a shank 55 passing through an arcuate slot 5"! in a bracket 58 attached to the pedestal 20'. The center curvature of slot 5'! is the center of shaft 23. After the position of shank 56 within the slot 5! has been determined, it is fixed in that position by the tightening of a nut 59 ther'eby'c'ausing the shoulder 55a of the stub shaft to bear against the bracket 53. The arm 53 canbe rotated about the stub shaft 55 when the clamp arm is loosened. After the wheel 50 has been brought into the desired position, screws 54a are tightened in order to tighten the clamp arm about the stub shaft 55.

The guide wheel 50 is so located with respect to the wheel 39, that the tubing T is caused to take a circular path which causes the tubing to form-itself into spiralloops' which are supported by a drum 60 having its right end approximately flushwith the periphery of the wheel 43 and having at its left enda flange 6|. Drum 69 is connected by spider plates 62 with a hub 33 carrying bearing bushings- 64 by which the drum is loosely joumaled on shaft 23 and is confined by thrust bearings 55 and G6 the former bearing against the hub of the wheel 46 and the latter being confined by a nut 61 on the left end of shaft 23. After tube T passes from the tube-mill, it passes behind a guide'plate l0 and then between the rolls 39 and 46 and then as it passes under the guide wheel 50 it passes in front of a guide plate H. The plates 10 and H are provided with arcuate recesses or orifices as at [2 in order to clear the Wheel 45. The plate H is supported by the pedestal 20 by suitable brackets, one of which is shown at 13, andthe plate 10 is supported by pedestal 20 by brackets similar to brackets 13. As the tubing '1 passes toward the left from the rollers 45 and 39, it is caused to make a spiral'path due to the warped surface of helical formation provided by the guide plate ll'. Plate H determines the pitch of the spiral turns. As the tube is formed into spiral turns, its free end approaches the flange 6| of the drum 60. If it is desired to prevent any of the turns of the tubing from leaving the drum 60, a metallic spring clamp such as a metal clothespin is snapped on the end turns of the spiral coil of tubing T in order to retain the tubing upon the drum. After a certain number of turns of tubing have been formed around the drum, the tubing coil may be severed from the tubing position then between the rolls 39 and 45 so that the tubing coil may be removed from the drum to leave room for other spiral turns which are being spirally formed around it.

journalled in bearing I08 carried by frame I02.

Shafts I04 and I! drive, respectively, rolls I09 and H0 which are grooved to receive the tube T which is gripped between them. Gear I meshes also with a wide faced gear II I journaled on a screw II2 (Fig. 9) threaded into one of two swinging arms H3 which are journalled on a sleeve II4 carried by bracket I02 and directly supporting the bearings I03 of the shaft I04. The two arms II3 merge into a tubular part H5 supporting bearings IIB upon which a shaft I I7 is journalled. Shaft III carries gear H8 meshing with gear III and shaft II'I drives grooved wheel II9. Wheel II9 which is directly under gear I I8 in Figs; 6 and 7 bears against the tube T after it emerges from between the wheels I09 and I I0 and causes the tubing T which moves in the direction of arrow I to move in a circular path. The location of the wheel H9 is adjusted by the turning of a turn buckle I2I having its ends tapped respectively for right and left hand threads for receiving similarly threaded rods I22 and I23 connected at I24 and I25, respectively, with the frame I02 and the lower one of the arms 3..

During its circular movement the tubing T I gravitates upon a guide plate I having a spiral bottom surface I3I and a flange I32. Plate I30 is supported by bars I33 and I34, respectively, extending from screws I35 and I36, respectively, which receive nuts I31 and I38, respectively, between which the bar ends are clamped in adjusted position along the screw I35 or I36. These screws are supported, respectively, by brackets I39 and I40 mounted on opposite sides of the pedestal I00.

The tubes T descend in spiral fashion upon the bottom wall I4I of a tray having a cylindrical side wall comprising a fixed part I42 and movable parts I43 and I44 hinged respectively at I45 and I46 (Fig. 6) and latched together by a latch lever I4'I (Fig. '7) pivoted at I48 on a bracket I49 attached to part I44. Lever I41 has a hook I50 for engaging a pin I5I carried by a bracket I52 attached to part I43. The bottom wall I4I of the tray is. supported by a pad I55 (Fig. 8) attached to the upper end of the shaft I56 journalled in bearing bushing I5! carried by a bracket I58 carrying also a step bearing I59 for supporting the shaft.

In both forms of the invention, I provide a pair of power driven feed rollers between which the tubing passes from a continuous tube forming mill, a wheel engaging the tubing to bind it into arcuate form, a guide plate having a warped Cal surface engaged by the tubing to guide the tubing in a helical path, and a rotatable support for receiving the helical turns of the tubing.

While the embodiments of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope 1 of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A tube, coiling device comprising a pair of power driven feed rolls between which the tubing passes from a supply source, said rolls being rotatably supported with their axes vertical, a wheel rotatably supported with its axis vertical and engaging the tubing after it passes between the feed rolls for causing the tubing to be bent into arcuate formation, a guide plate upon which the tubing gravitates and having a warped surface engaged by the tubing to guide the tubing in ahelical path, and a rotatable pan mounted with its axis vertical and coinciding substantially with the axis of the helix of the tubing and having a bottom wall supporting helical turns of the tubing.

2. A tube coiling device comprising means for receiving tubing moving in a substantially straight path and for causing it to move in a helical path with the axis of the helix vertical, and a rotatable pan supported with its axis vertical and coinciding substantially with the axis of the tubing-helix for directly engaging the lower end turn of the tubing-helix as the tubing moves in a helical-spiral path.

3. A stock coiling device comprising, a pair of power driven rolls between which stock passes from a supply source; a plate for changing the direction of travel of the stock as it leaves the feed rolls; a wheel engaging the stock after it starts to change its direction of travel for causing the stock to be bent into arcuate formation from which a helix is formed; a rotatable support for receiving the helical turns of the stock; and means to determine the curvature and size of the helix, said means comprising a relatively stationary member having an arcuate slot concentric with the axis of the rotatable support, an arm carrying the wheel at one end and having its other end pivoted on a shaft adjustable to various positions within the arcuate slot; means for clamping the arm on the shaft; and means for clamping the shaft within the arcuate slot.

4. A stock coiling device comprising, a pair of power driven rolls between which stock passes from a supply source; a plate for changing the direction of travel of the stock as it leaves the feed rolls, a wheel engaging the stock after it starts to change its direction of travel for causing the stock to be bent into arcuate formation from which a helix is formed; a rotatable support for receiving the helical turns of the stock; means to change the relation of the wheel relative to the rolls whereby the curvature and consequently the size of the helix may be changed, said means comprising a relative stationary member having an elongated slot, an arm carrying the wheel at one end and having its other end pivoted on one end of a shaft and said shaft having the other end projecting through the slot and capable of being moved to various positions along the slot; means for clamping the arm to the shaft; and mean for clamping the shaft to the stationary member.

LORA E. POOLE. 

